The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-07-14
THE PuLQuE OF MEXICO.

IHE PULQOE OF MEAiCO.
Preparation and Qualities OF the National
beverage of Our southern Neighbors.
Pulque (poolkay) is fermented juice
of the Mexican plant called maguey
(magay), the American agave or aloe.
When the plant is from six to eight
years old it is ready for use. 1t is pre-
pared by making deep incision in the
center, reachingt the heart and leaving
but thick outside rind, which forms
kind of well of one foot in depth and
one and one-fourth in diameter Five
or six months afterward this rind is re-
moved and sap begins to flow. This
sap, which is of a yellow color, is very
sweet and is called agua-miel (honey-
water). The leaves are cut away on
one side and man furnished with a
tanned hog-skin and long gourd
draws out the liquid and pours it into
the skin until it is entirely full. A
small portion of agua-miel left for ten
or twelve days in a barrel or skin is
fermented, and serves. as the base or
mother-pulque (pulque-madre) for as
long a time as it may be wanted. 1t
only needs to be supplied with fresh
agua-miel every day. A good maguey
produces from ten to twelve pints of
liquid daily for longer than five months,
the value Of days liquid varying
from ten to fifteen cents; thus when a
maguey is ready for use its value is not
less than SIS. Some eighty years ago
a farmer who planted from 10000 to
$4,000 magueys was sure to make q
fortune for his children, but at the pres
ent day there has been considerable
decrease in the value of this plant, the
principal causes being the carelessness
of the farmers, the heavy taxes paid to
the government and the adulteration
of the liquid. The Mexicans do not
now make so much use of this plant as
their ancestors did. 1t is well known
that the Aztecs used the ibrous leaves
of the plant in making fine cloth and
strong cords. They also wrote their
hieroglyphics on paper made of the
same leaves, specimens of which can be
found in the museums of Europe and
America. it can be said that the aloe
was food and drink, clothing and writ
ing material for the Aztecs. 1t is sur
prising how nature concentrated SO
many different advantages in one single
i plant, and the skill manifested in
developing these advantages shows the
degree of civilization which that race
had already acquired.
This plant was introduced into Eu.
rope shortly after the conquest Of
Mexico. The first garden which re.
ceived it was that of Padua in Italy
Q516), but it is found both as an orna-
ment in the front yards of many houses
of Europe and America, and as an OBJ
ject of study in the botanical gardens
| In Mexico, Central and South Amer.
lea are several species of the plant; in
Mexico alone / have seen over five
different kinds. In the State of Oaxacs
a maguey from which a green candle
resembling the sperm, is made. Another
in Jalisco from which the celebrated
tequila (brandy) is extracted.
/ When pulque is mixed and fermentee
with grapes. oranges. pineapples and
other fruits, it has sweet and agreea
bic taste not only to the Mexican, bu
to the foreign palate as well. There il
| a kind of ice cream (helados) made o
pulque and eggs, or vanilla, straw
berries, etc., which has an exquisit'
flavor, and forms one of the delicacie
in many Mexican families.
Pulqueis the common and cheapes
drink in the City Of Mexico. and in tn
neighboring States of Puebla, Hidalg'
and others, but not of the who'll
country, as there are in the north an,
south part of Mexico people who d
not know any thing about pulque.
!, A preparation to preserve the pulqu
for long time Of which Senior Alfons'
Herrera, President of the National Pre-
paratory School of the City Of Mexico
is the author, consists in mixing one
third OF alcohol with two-thirds of thi
. liquid, leaving it to rest for some tim
and then putting it in bottles. Afte
, thus prepared pulque was exhibited a
the Exposition at Philadelphia in 1877
and at Paris in 1873. However, as thi
beverage has not proved agreeable t
the foreign taste its consumption is re
!, duced to Mexico alone.--C. D. OliUares
IN Cincinnati Times.
The microphone is now being use
in Germany for the purpose of detect
ing loss Of water through leakage j
town mains. The apparatus consist
of steel rod, which is placed upon th
cock in the neighborhood of which th
leak is suspected, and microphon
attached to the upper end of the roc
A dry battery and telephone complete
the equipment. No sound is heard j
, the telephone if the cocks are close
and no leak occurs; but leak even
: few drops through badly-fittin
cock causes sufficient vibration in th
, pipe to affect the microphone, and Civ
audible sounds in the telephone -Ele
. | iS.icnI Reqyie3r